The Buffalo Springfield was a band that lasted 19 months, yet their music and their importance in music history will last forever. After all, are there any other bands that are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that were together for less than two years? No.

The Springfield is perhaps best known for what its members accomplished AFTER the breakup. Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Jim Messina. These names all became huge after the band broke up on May 5, 1968. Yet the Springfield music, a blend of rock, folk, country, and a little soul, drove them to success with three impressive and influencial albums. They only had one hit single, "For What it's Worth", but the groovy songs on their albums were written by three very unique and distinctive songwriters and guitar gods; Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and Richie Furary. Back those songs with the percussive stylings of Dewey Martin and the bass lines of Bruce Palmer, and out comes some of the best songs ever.

The Springfield had their share of band conflicts between Stills and Young, the leaders of the group, as well as personnel changes, and drug conflicts. But their music will live on. They were one of the first bands to embrace country rock, and much of their rock/folk/country blend was BETTER than what anyone else was doing at the time. And though their breakup was only 19 months after they got together, what the band members achieved in the years that followed was truly amazing. After the breakup, Stills went on to form Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Neil had a very successfull solo career that even extends to today. Richie and Jim Messina formed Poco, and Messina later went on to form Loggins & Messina. So the Springfield legacy continues. On Neil Young's album "Silver and Gold", he wrote a song called "Buffalo Springfield Again", a tribute to his old band. Also, last year Neil finished working on the Buffalo Springfield Boxset, which has been in the works seemingly forever and was released on July 3, 2001. Which may prove that perhaps Neil is the biggest Springfield fan of them all.